Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi is a human rights and democracy activist, and a lawyer, who was awarded 2003's Nobel Peace Prize. She is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the prize. Born in 1947 in Hamadan, Iran, Ebadi received a law degree from the University of Tehran and became the first female judge in Iran. She had to resign her position following the revolution in 1979, when conservative Islamic clerics took control of the country and introduced severe restrictions on the role of women, calling women "too emotional" to hold a high ranking position in the judicial system. Ebadi now lectures law at the University of Tehran, and is a campaigner for strengthening the legal status of children and women. In 1996, Human Rights Watch honored Ms. Ebadi as a leading human rights defender for her contribution to the cause of human rights in Iran.

As a lawyer, Ebadi is known for taking up cases of liberal and dissident figures who have fallen foul of the judiciary. Among others, she has represented the family of Dariush Farouhar, a dissident intellectual who, along with his wife, was found stabbed to death at their home. The couple was among several dissidents who died in a spate of grisly murders that terrorized Iran's intellectual community. Suspicion fell on extremist hard-liners determined to put a stop to the more liberal climate fostered by President Khatami, who has championed freedom of speech.

In 2000, Ebadi was accused of distributing the video-taped confession of a hardline hooligan who claimed that prominent conservative leaders were instigating physical attacks on pro-reform gatherings and figures. She received a suspended jail sentence and a professional ban (which was later lifted). The case brought increased focus on Iran from human rights groups abroad. Ebadi recently established a non-governmental organization in Iran, the Center for the Defense of Human Rights. Ebadi has written a number of academic books and articles focused on human rights. Among her books translated into English are The Rights of the Child. A Study of Legal Aspects of Children's Rights in Iran (Tehran, 1994), published with support from UNICEF, and History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran (New York, 2000).

Time Magazine named Ebadi one of 2004's top 100 most influential people.